Signiphora bennetti Woolley & Dal Molin

Schmidt, Stefan, Hamid, Hasmiandy, Ubaidillah, Rosichon, Ward, Samantha & Polaszek, Andrew, 2019, A review of the Indonesian species of the family Signiphoridae (Hymenoptera, Chalcidoidea), with description of three new species, ZooKeys 897, pp. 29-47 : 29

Signiphora bennetti Woolley & Dal Molin Fig. 5 A–F

Signiphora bennetti Woolley & Dal Molin, 2017: 19-23.

Material examined.

Indonesia • 4 ♀ (on slide); West Java, Mount Halimun-Salak National Park, waterfall; 6.71250S, 106.52305E; 1100 m a.s.l.; 18-Sept-2015; A. Polaszek leg.; Yellow Pan trap; MZB DNA 1321; ZSM DNA 1318; NHMUK DNA 1319-20.

Diagnosis (female).

Female with pale band from distal mesoscutum to the proximal propodeal triangle. Antenna with 3 anelli ( Fig. 5E ). Marginal vein dorsally with 3 setae, seta M1 missing ( Fig. 5C ), usually with minute seta distal to M2.

Description (female). Colour. Head and body dark brown ( Fig. 5A, B ), with distal half of mesoscutum, scutellum, metanotum and anterior part of propodeal triangle distinctly pale in contrast; legs pale with hind femora brown ( Fig. 5A ), antenna yellow-brown with clava darker, increasingly so distally ( Fig. 5E ). Fore wing with brown infuscation centrally and on marginal vein ( Fig. 5C ).

Morphology. Head 1.5 times as broad as frontovertex width ( Fig. 5B ), frontovertex width 1.04 times length of clava. Antenna with 6 antennomeres and with 3 anelli, clava 4.6 times as long as broad and 1.7 times as long as scape length, pedicel 0.6 times as long as scape length ( Fig. 5E ). Midlobe of mesoscutum with 2 fine setae in posterior half, scutellum with 4 fine setae along posterior margin. Fore wing 3.5 times as long as broad ( Fig. 5C ), longest setae of marginal fringe 1.52 times as long as width of disc, marginal vein seta M1 absent, M5 absent in some paratypes; stigmal seta long ( Fig. 5C ), vestigial seta base/socket present between M5 and M6 on lower edge of marginal vein, discal seta absent ( Fig. 5C ). Midtibial spur 0.84 times as long as corresponding basitarsus ( Fig. 5F ), the latter 0.46 times as long as midtibia. Ovipositor 1.8 times as long as midtibia and 1.4 times as long as hind tibia.

Host.

A primary parasitoid, commonly associated with Melanaspis smilacis (Comstock) ( Hemiptera , Diaspididae ) in the New World, a species also widely distributed in SE Asia. Also recorded from Hemiberlesia oxycoccus (Woglum); Melanaspis obscura (Comstock); Pseudaulacaspis pentagona Targioni Tozzetti; Comstockaspis perniciosa (Comstock) and Aspidiella sacchari (Comstock) ( Woolley and Dal Molin 2017).

Distribution.

Very widespread in the New World ( Woolley and Dal Molin 2017).

DNA barcode data.

The species exhibits an intraspecific variation of 0.2% and a distance of 12.5% to the nearest neighbour species, S. flavella (Suppl. material 1, Genbank Accession Numbers: MN520843, MN520844).

Remarks.

The species belongs to the Signiphora flavopalliata Ashmead species group and can be separated from other species in the group by the central dorsal pale band extending from the distal mesoscutum to the proximal propodeal triangle (female), absence of M1 from the marginal vein, and the presence of a minute anterior seta on the marginal vein distal to M2 (fig. 38 in Woolley and Dal Molin 2017), though this seta is not present in every specimen.

Figures

Figure 5. Signiphora bennetti Woolley & Dal Molin, female A body in dorsal view B head in frontal view C fore wing D hind wing E antenna F middle leg.